Four Black Creative 'Geniuses' Awarded the 2014 MacArthur Fellowship

Each of the recipients have been allotted $625,000 to continue their creative and innovative work.

Each year The MacArthur Foundation awards "Genius Grants" to a respected group of exceptional individuals who are breaking new ground in their fields. This year, four Black people are among the inspiring group of recipients.

Jennifer Eberhardt, Rick Lowe, Steve Coleman and Terrance Hayes will each receive $625,000 from the Foundation so that they may continue to "follow their own creative visions." The no-strings-attached stipend will be paid in installments over the course of five years.

The group’s portfolios definitely speak for themselves. Lowe, for example, uses his art to rebuild struggling Black communities, such as Houston's Third Ward. Eberhardt, a social psychologist, has spent her career analyzing the unconscious ways race and visual perceptions affect criminal sentencing. Coleman ability to infuse his jazz music with a unique range of international music styles makes him a standout in his field. Finally, Hayes uses poetry to tackle races, gender and current event issues in innovative ways.